What's Good? For October, the recommendation-of-the-month project features Amanda B.'s "Full Circle" (2005, PG), a very short story of inertia and assumptions. It begins with the most conventional N&N happy ending -- mortality and marriage -- then trips that up and sends it crashing into DK territory.

Nick came to the couch once more, but instead of sitting beside her, he knelt facing her. He took her hands in his. “Natalie.” Her heart skipped a beat; he very rarely used her full name. “I never meant to hurt you.” He leaned down and kissed her hands. When he raised his head again, the eyes that met hers were golden.

-----What's New on FKFic-L? The email list was very busy with FKFic-L War XIII, so no new non-War stories were posted in September (or October to date). Hopefully, November will fare better!

Well, now, that's a fine way to put it! We have our first war in six years, and all you can say is "hopefully fare better"? You may not have ever played in a war yourself—I'd have to go back and check—but a grand time was had by all. Although there were some startling absences, those who were present were all very enthusiastic.

Of course, wars are wacky things—and not everyone's cup of tea. They do, however, require a lot of intensive writing (and aren't you the one who started FK Fic Fest?) and hence do produce stories, admittedly of variable degrees of coherence.

Now, everyone has always said to me that one should take part in a war at least once. So I did. And, although this time one was allowed to play unaffiliated, I was also assured that—for the full experience—I should join a faction, at least for the duration. I played as a Die-Hard, therefore; and I wound up writing most of that faction's posts. In the end, that was 27 posts (some of them sections of multi-part stories), of varying length (averaging 4 or 5 pages when printed out) over the two weeks of the war. And yes: I did try to maintain a coherent narrative. This included a multi-part cross-faction Thanksgiving story—and it was my first war, too. (Yikes.) Well, it certainly gave me the experience!

>"We have our first war in six years, and all you can say is "hopefully fare better"?"

A wish for a month with new FK stories to follow two months with no new FK stories accurately reflects my position.

>"You may not have ever played in a war yourself"

I played actively as a Knightie and as a "Friend of Urs" in War VII. I beta-read for multiple factions in War VIII.

Differently, but more importantly, I participated in War VI.

>"So, apropos of writing, are you having another FK Fic Fest next year?"

As when you asked in September, we'll have a survey to measure interest and availability. I think that mid-January may be a good time for that survey, and mid-summer may be a good time for a game, but I need to consult my co-mod and consider real-life impacts.

I also wish more people were writing nowadays. Alas, both lists are very quiet compared with yesteryear. At least the war did have the effect of gingering things up a bit...for a while. How long it may last is another matter.

My apologies for any confusion: The reference was specifically to stories posted on the fkfic-l email list. (I know of two FK stories that have been posted in other places in the past two months, just not to fkfic-l itself.)